Hearth disaster ...help!

[Micky]

Dear All,

Our new hearth is reclaimed York flags...unsealed and porous...and now has two candle wax stains right in the middle....can anyone suggest any way of getting this out or at least making it less noticeable...I can only think of ironing it through paper!

Any suggestions very very gratefully received!
thanks
Micky ...in deep trouble with other half!

 

[shelli]

problem with heating , paper, iron job is that wax spreads out a bit as well

Suggestion - if wax is white

Paraffin (candle) wax is soluble in any kind of hydrocarbon-based paint
thinner
- dabbing/ circular rubbing with a cloth finger-dipped in thinners might lift it off

Disclaimer - I have never tried this as my waxy disasters have all been on wood surfaces

 

[Schoolmarm]

Same thing happened to me only worse. My daughter, when she was 18, sat flicking bits of candle wax into the fire and watching it melt. The first I knew was when I spotted a huge dark patch creeping from under my fire.

The stone was the same as yours. I chipped off the thick cold wax but was left with the part I couldn't reach under the log burner( it had dripped fropm inside)and also a damp looking patch around the fire. It has become slightly less obvious with time but is still waxy feeling further back.

 

[Micky]

Thanks both, a trawl of the internet has come up with the product below which seems just the thing...now have some on order ..I will let you know the result but fingers crossed it works (it was only a couple small drips but because stove on they melted and sank in) I'm so cross with myself and get a great reminder every time whilst sat in the living room!

http://www.stone-tech.co.uk/stone-stain-remover-inorganic.html

 

[ljn]

wax the rest?

 

[Penners]

wax the rest?

Now, you see, that's what I call a pragmatic aproach... :wink:

 

[Edwardia]

Wondering what original inhabitants did when wax dropped on stone from candles..

 

[Micky]

I should prob be more relaxed but we spent 6 months on this room alone with all the furniture crammed everywhere else in the house, spent ages choosing the damn stone in a freezing reclamation yard and it's quite light, bad idea obviously! and now there are two dark splodges slap bang in the middle ....will let you know if the stuff works when I summon the courage to try it just in case there are any fellow anal hearth peeps out there!
Micky

 

[Penners]

Wondering what original inhabitants did when wax dropped on stone from candles..

I suggest that they probably scraped off the surplus, and then thought: "Ah well - that's one patch that the gravy won't soak into".

 

[Schoolmarm]

My stone cleaner has arrived so yours must have. I am going to melt wax onto a bit of stone roofing flag outside and test the cleaner on it.

Did you read the dodgy instructions?

"Shake carefully the product"
"wait 30 minutes about"
"repeated applications can remove more efficaciously and deeply spotsand possible halos"

 

[Micky]

Yes Schoolmarm re instructions ...hence I have not tried it yet! Good idea re testing on a different piece we've got some odd bits of same stone so I'll try that too....please don't blame me if it goes horribly wrong...the guy said be careful it's very flammable!
Micky

 

[Penners]

"repeated applications can remove ... halos"

Be very careful, Marm. It's taken you ages to earn that halo.

 

[Penners]

You put your left leg in
Your left leg out

"Shake carefully the product"
"wait 30 minutes about"

You do the hokey-cokey... etc.




Sorry.

 

[middi]

Wondering what original inhabitants did when wax dropped on stone from candles..

Scrape it off and made a smaller candle.

 

[Schoolmarm]

Penners, brilliant,


Edwardia, it is highly unlikely they would have candles near the hearth. It is only us silly modern people.



Mickey, I am going to warm the sample stone up so it absorbs wax, otherwise it easily comes off if it lands on cold stone.

 

[Micky]

Schoolmarm - this is getting very scientific, are you doing a control!? Any results yet?...am going to tackle this tomorrow in daylight...will let you know so we can compare data!
Micky

 

[Schoolmarm]

What control could we do? A treatment on a bit with no wax? Or a wax with no treatment? :lol:


I will do my test tomorrow too.

 

[Penners]

What control could we do?

Well, a bit of self-control wouldn't go amiss (as my old grandad used to say).

 

[Edwardia]

Sooo.. did the product work ???

 

[Micky]

Well sort of....definitely it has faded the marks but looks it is going to take several more attempts....not sure how Schoolmarm got on?

Micky